We’d hate to bother you at work, and presume that showing up at your home wouldn’t be appreciated. We don’t flatter ourselves to know where your Third Place might be. So why don’t you meet us here, in the Fourth Place. We’ll save you a seat.

No, no you don’t need to take your shoes off. Come right this way, but watch your step.

Maybe walk a little further away from the edge?

Yes, that’s a whale, no it wouldn’t appreciate you stepping on it. Sorry to be so picky!

Don’t think we’re allowed there…

DEFINITELY not there.

You know what, just follow the path….

Nearly there…

Made it! Oh, you brought drinks? We'd said you didn’t need to bring anything, but are glad that you had the sense to ignore us. I’m sorry, I have to say - and this isn’t to embarrass you - but you look wonderful. These times are trying on just about everyone nowadays, but one couldn’t tell by looking at you.

Do you have any dietary restrictions? We forgot to ask. Luckily there’s plenty here, I’m sure you’ll find something to suit you. Let me just open this bottle here. We’ve not tried this but you have great taste I’m sure.

This has been a long time coming. We’ve want to set up our place for nearly a year, but struggled to find the X that marked the spot so that we could build it. We asked ourselves, what sort of core could we set in place that would allow everything else to naturally fall into its orbit, what would bind everything together? In short, what made us “special” to warrant us sharing our seemingly average story.

Of course we still don’t know. But we don't seek self-assurance, or for anyone to tell us what that something special is or might be. Kris and I started as coworkers at a coffee shop. Now he’s a banker, and I work in healthcare. Careers as common as they come, that don't reflect what makes us "us". We travel as much as time and budget will allow (and more often than not past it), and try to keep up with our toppling list of hobbies. I take inspiration and memories of the international culinary world and bring it to my kitchen, where in my own way I make it accessible to eat from the food stands of Kyoto here in a Seattle kitchen. Kris frames with his eyes, and then with his camera, pieces of the world's rugged landscapes and sparkling cities so that the memories remain as sharp as they did from the moment that we made them. We do this while figuring out exactly how we fit into this world, like everyone else.

In the absence of any X marking the spot, we finally found what we were looking for. Welcome to here, the Fourth Place, somewhere along the dotted line of journeys far from their beginnings but even further from their ends. This is our common ground, away from our home and work and favorite haunts. This is where we’d like to show you pieces of the extraordinary magic in the lives of two ordinary aspiring world travelers and how they fit that passion into their everyday lives. We’re not international photographers or journalists, we don’t make a living leading tours up the most dangerous climbs or down the most treacherous caves (I’ve no coordination and Kris likewise with any sense of direction), we haven’t written bestselling cookbooks or have much worldly accomplishments to speak of.

But we love our lives, and would like to share with you, if that’s alright?

We’re through that first bottle already! No worries, we have a second, along with all the time in the world. And cookies, don’t let me forget to take those out of the oven.

Don’t mind Jasper, she has no teeth. She just wants some cuddles.And a piece of that cookie in your hand.

Listen to me, going on for so long. Let’s hunker down and waste a few more hours away.